Granola Bars Replace Candy as U.S. Limits School Snacks

Candy bars in school vending machines
will be replaced by granola and dried fruit under a U.S. plan
that sets nutrition requirements for snacks, sodas and other
food sold outside of regular meals.

Schools will have to limit unhealthy fare sold separately
from federal school meals, according to a proposal released
today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. says
snacks peddled in vending machines can be no more than 200
calories and must meet other nutrition criteria, such as limits
on fat and sugar.

The government about a year ago revamped nutrition
standards for school lunches and breakfasts as it seeks to
reduce child obesity. Even before the standards were changed,
parents’ groups raised concerns that food outside the meals
program -- such as student-run bake sales -- would be outlawed.
While today’s proposal regulates areas such as vending machines,
the department avoided that issue by leaving it up to states.

“Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating
habits in our kids, and these efforts should be supported when
kids walk through the schoolhouse door,” Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Good nutrition lays the
groundwork for good health and academic success.”

The proposal doesn’t apply to foods brought to school in
bagged lunches. It also doesn’t cover food sold at concession
stands after school ends or items children bring in to celebrate
birthdays or special events.

Pizza Sales

Foods sold by the school that aren’t also provided as part
of the regular meal program must meet the nutrition criteria of
lunch fare, according to the proposed rules, which have a 60-day
comment period.

The nutrition standards for vending machines and food sold
outside of the U.S.-provided meals are welcome, said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in
the Public Interest, a Washington consumer advocacy group.

“This is great news for the country, for children, for
families,” Wootan said. “It’s a step toward getting junk food
out of vending machines and schools.”

The proposal is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
of 2010, which seeks to curb child obesity by changing food in
schools and promoting healthy eating. The law required the
Agriculture Department to set nutrition standards for items sold
during the school day, known as “competitive foods.” The
agency has jurisdiction as it oversees the federal school-lunch
program, which provides low-cost and free lunches in public and
non-profit private schools.

Nutritional Standards

The proposal released today sets nutritional limits for
food and beverages in vending machines, such as PepsiCo Inc. (PEP)’s
Doritos, and may apply to fast-food items sold in the cafeteria,
such as Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) slices students buy with pocket money.
There will also be limits on beverages, such as sports drinks
sold in high schools.

All schools may sell plain, low-fat milk, chocolate fat-
free milk, as well as fruit and vegetable juice. The proposal
also sets calorie limits on other beverages.

“With many students consuming up to half of their daily
calories at school, these guidelines could make a real
difference in the health of our nation’s kids,” Jessica Donze
Black, a dietician and director of the Washington-based Kids’
Safe and Healthful Foods Project, which provides analysis on
school foods, said in a statement.

Unhealthy Snacks

Almost half of elementary school students were able to buy
unhealthy snacks in the 2009-2010 year, according to a study
published Feb. 6 in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine.

“For decades, the school lunch loophole has given our kids
access to junk food through school vending machines, snack bars,
and school stores, undermining not only their health, but also
taxpayers’ investment in nutritionally-balanced school meals,”
Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, said in a statement.
“USDA’s proposed nutrition standards are a critical step in
closing that loophole.”

Some changes already have been made. Coca-Cola Co. (KO), PepsiCo
and Cadbury Schweppes Plc in 2006 agreed to halt almost all soft
drink sales in elementary and middle schools and to limit soda
sales in high schools to diet drinks, under a deal brokered by
former President Bill Clinton and the American Heart
Association.